Line beam illuminator



y 1966 i D. J. COBB 3,254,205

LINE BEAM ILLUMINATOR Filed July 1, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.DONALD J. COBB ATTORNEYS May 31, 1966 D. J. COBB LINE BEAM ILLUMINATOR 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1, 1965 INVENTOR- DONALD J. COBB 5 44,!ATTORNEYS Patented May 31, 1966 United States Patent Office 3,254,205LINE BEAM ILLUMINATOR Donald J. Cobb, Highland Heights, Ky., assignor toWhiteway Manufacturing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of OhioFiled July 1, 1963, Sen-No. 291,622 9 Claims. (Cl. 240-3) The presentinvention relates to a line beam illuminator. This form of illuminatoris designed to project an intense beam of light as a line which may bevaried or adjusted as to its width. Thus it is possible by means of suchan illuminator, to sharply illuminate, for example, selected portions ofa theater stage or the like. Similarly, it may be used to sharplyilluminate several horizontal printed lines of a billboard oradvertising sign, leaving the remaining lines unilluminated; or, byproper focusing, the line of light delivered may be widened toilluminate several printed lines or possibly the entire height of thebillboard display, as may be desired. The line beam may be projected asa horizontal line, or as a line inclined to the vertical, as will becomeapparent in the light of the description which follows.

An object of the present invention is to provide improvements in a linebeam illuminator, whereby focusing of the beam for width is renderedhighly accurate and sharp, with the use of simple and inexpensivefocusing means.

Another object is to provide in an illuminator of the character stated,improved supporting and focusing means for the tubular lamp of theilluminator, whereby lamp breakage and socket injury are effectivelyminimized or eliminated entirely.

A further object is to expedite and simplify the focusing procedure,thereby eifecting. savings of time and eflort in setting up andadjusting the illuminator for maximum efliciency and performance.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means describedherein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the illuminator embodying thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-section taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view in crosssection, showingthe focusing means for the lamp.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation looking from right to left on FIG. 1.

The illuminator includes a bright reflecting surface which in verticalsection is substantially parabolic in form, although planes intersectingthe reflecting surface horizontally produce parallel horizontal lines ofintersection which are straight. In other words, the reflecting surfaceis similar to that which results from bending transversely a brightrectangular sheet to parabolic form, to establish a focal line ratherthan a focal point, which focal line throughout its length is parallelto every straight line that may be scribed upon the reflective surface.

As FIG. 5 indicates, the straight line defining the upper limit 12 ofthe reflective surface 10, is parallelto line 14 which defines the lowerlimit of surface 10. The elongate tubular lamp 16, which may be a finequartz lamp, has its longitudinal axis in parallelism with lines 12 and14, and also in parallelism with the focal line of reflective surface10. In one adjusted position of the lamp, its longitudinal axis maycoincide with the focal line of reflector 10. For the purposes of theinstant disclosure, the reflector 10 may be referred to as one which isplaneparabolic in form.

With tubular lamp 16 disposed in parallelism with the focal line ofreflector 10, the projected beam resulting from activating the lamp willbe a long straight line in parallelism with the lamp axis and the focalline of reflector 10. The width of the resulting line beam, that is, itsvertical measurement, will be dependent upon the spacing of the lampfrom the reflective surface 10 which spacing, according to the presentinvention, is subject to variation or adjustment at will. It is properalso to conclude that the vertical width of the projected line beamdepends upon the spacing of the lamp axis from the focal line of thereflective surface 10.

The characters 18, FIG. 5, indicate substantially flat side plates orwings fixed within the illuminator housing and providing covers for thebase portions of the lamp sockets 20.

The illuminator housing, indicated at 22, may be formed as a metalliccasting having exterior ribs or fins 24 serving as reinforcements and aselements to dissipate heat generated by the lamps. Midway between theopposite side walls 26 and 28 of the housing, a median rib 30 extendspreferably from the front to the rear thereof, termi nating at the rearin a vertical extension 32 which is apertured transversely to receive abolt or screw 34 about which the housing may be tilted forwardly andrearward- 1y. Screw 34 is adapted to pass through a hollow bracketmember 36 at 38, so that upon tightening the screw 34 the verticalangularity of the housing may be fixed.

A second bracket member 40 which stands upright upon a hollow post cap42, has pivotal connection at screw 44 enabling disposition and fixationof the illuminator housing at various degress of sidewise tilt, so thatif desired, the axis of lamp 16 may be inclined from the horizontaltoward a vertical position. The several parts 36, 40 and 42 may be madehollow to accommodate elwtric conductors leading to lamp scokets 29. At46 is indicated a spirit level on housing part 32 for indicating ahorizontal disposition of lamp 16. The character 48 denotes indexmarkings on the housing to indicate the angularity of upward or downwardtilt of the housing.

The forward portion of the illuminator housing may be provided with ahood 50 about the perimeter thereof, for supporting a lens and possiblya grille, to protect lamp 16 and seal the reflector against entry ofdirt and moisture. Mounting pivots for the lens frame 56 are indicatedat 5252, while. at 54 is indicated a thumb screw to releasably hold theframe to the housing.

Atttention is now directed to the means employed for bodily shiftinglamp 16 toward and from reflector 10, to alter the character of the linebeam projected thereby. Such means may comprise a pair of parallelhanger arms 66 and.62, the terminal ends 64 of which support the opposedlamp sockets 20-20. The sockets are securely fixed to the arms, and aremaintained always in axial alignment one with the other to avoidpossible twist or torque which might fracture the lamp or displace itfrom parallelism with the reflector focal line.

At the upper end 66 of each hanger arm, a bolt 68 passes therethroughand extends laterally through the housing to the exterior. Bolts 68 attheir outer ends support the spaced parallel arms 70 of a bail-likehandle or adjusting bar 72 which spans the illuminator housing andoverlies'the median rib 30. The arms 70 of bar 72 are fixed to the outerends of bolts 68, and since the hanger arms 60 also are fixed to thebolts, any rocking movement of bar 72 istransmitted to the hanger armsand the lamp sockets mounted thereon. Thus, the spacing of lamp 16toward and from the rear of the reflector may be varied by manipulatingthe adjusting bar or handle 72, the lamp being maintained always instrict parallelism with the focal line of the reflector so as to ensurean accurate and uniformly wide beam projection at any selected positionof the adjusting bar.

Means are provided for holding the adjusting bar in selected positionsof adjustment. Such means may consist of a bump or segment 74 on rib 30,to frictionally engage the adjusting bar in all positions thereof whenswung about the axes of bolts 68. Segment 74 may be notched or knurledas as 76 to increase friction thereof against bar 72 and therebymaintain the bar in selected positions of adjustment. The hump orsegment may be formed on an are having bolt 68 as a radius. If desired,the bar may be provided with a lug 78 to engage the segment notches. Thebar is made slightly flexible and resilient so as to pass yieldinglyover notches 76.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bolts 68 each may carry a retaining nut 80 and aseries of tubular spacers 82 keeping the arms '70 spaced from theilluminator housing. A collar 84 secured to bolt 68 by a set screw 86,has a transverse channel 88 receptive of arm 7 to ensure movement ofarms 70 with the hangers 60, the latter being fixed against rotationrelative to bolts 68.

In FIG. 1, 90 indicates a locking screw threaded into extension 32 andengaging a part of bracket 36 for locking the illuminator housing atvarious selected degrees of vertical tilt.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may bemade in the structural details of the device, within the scope of theappended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An illuminator comprising a housing, a planoparabolic reflectorwithin the housing and having a straight line of focus within the limitsof the reflector, a tubular elongate lamp having electric terminal ends,a pair of rockable pivots on the housing arranged in axial alignment anddisposed at opposite sides of the housing, said pivots each having aninner end disposed inside the housing and an opposite outer end disposedexteriorly of the housing, a pair of parallel hangers each having apivot end fixed to the inner end of a rockable pivot, and a free endswingable about the pivot axes toward and from the focal line of thereflector, lamp sockets fixed upon the free ends of the hangers inopposition to sup-port the terminal ends of the lamp. in parallelismwith the focal line of the reflector, a resilient adjusting bar spanningthe illuminator housing exteriorly thereof, said bar having oppositeends fixed to the outer ends of the rockable pivots, whereby swingingmovement of the bar about the pivot axes compels unitary swinging of thehangers and the lamp sockets together with the lamp thereby supportedand means on the housing exterior intermediate the rockable pivots forfrictionally and yieldingly engaging the adjusting bar and holding thelatter in selected positions of adjustment to establish a selectedspacing of the lamp relative to the focal line of the reflector.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means last mentionedcomprises a notched hump on the housing intermediate the rockablepivots, the hump being formed on a circle arc having substantially thesame radius as the radius of swing of the adjusting bar, said bar in allpositions of its swinging movement being in yielding contact withselected notches of the hump.

3. An illuminator comprising a housing, a plano-parabolic reflectorwithin the housing and having a straight line of focus within the limitsof the reflector, a tubular elongate lamp having electric terminal ends,a pair of rockable pivots journalled in the housing and disposed at.opposite sides thereof, said pivots being in axial alignment with theaxis thereof parallel to and spaced from the focal line of thereflector, the pivots each having an inner end disposed inside thehousing and an opposite outer end disposed exteriorly of the housing, apair of hangers each having a pivot end fixed to the inner end of arockable pivot, and a free end swingable about the pivot axes toward andfrom the focal line of the reflector, lamp sockets fixed upon the freeends of the hangers in opposition to support the terminal ends of thelamp with the lamp axis in parallelism with the focal line of thereflector, and an adjusting bar spanning the illuminator housingexteriorly thereof, said bar having opposite ends fixed to the outerends of the rockable pivots whereby swinging movement of the bar aboutthe pivot axes compels unitary swinging of the hangers and the lampsockets together with the lamp supported thereby. I

4. The device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the combination includesmeans for releasably maintaining a selected position of adjustment ofthe adjusting bar.

5. An illuminator comprising'a housing, a laterally curved reflectorwithin the housing and having a straight line of focus, a tubularelongate lamphaving electric terminal ends, a pair of rockable pivots onthe housing arranged in axial alignment and disposed at opposite sidesof the housing, said pivots each having an inner end disposed inside thehousing and an opposite outer end disposed exteriorly of the housing, apair of hangers each having a pivot end fixed to the inner end of arockable pivot, and a free end swingable about the pivot-axes toward andfrom the focal line of the reflector, lamp sockets fixed upon the freeends of the hangers in opposition to support the terminal ends of thelamp, with the lamp axis parallel to the focal line of the reflector,and a single manual actuator operative upon the outer ends of therockable pivots, to swing the hangers and the lamp toward and from andin parallelism with the focal line of the reflector.

6. The device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the combination includesmeans to latch the single actuator in selected positions of adjustment,for fixing the character of the beam projected by the reflector.

7. An illuminator comprising a housing, a piano-parabolic reflectorwithin the housing and having a straight line of focus within the limitsof the reflector, a tubular elongated lamp having electric terminalends, a pair of rockable pivots on the housing arranged in axialalignment and disposed at oppositesides of the housing, said pivots eachhaving an inner end disposed inside the housing and an opposite outerend disposed exteriorly of the housing, a pair of hangers each having apivot end fixed to the inner end of a rockable pivot, and a free endswingable about the pivot axes toward and from the focal line of thereflector, lamp sockets fixed upon the free ends of the hangers inopposition to support the terminal ends of the lamp in parallelism withthe focal line of the reflector, a movable adjusting bar connected tothe outer ends of said rockable pivots and arranged in spanningrelationship to the housing exteriorly thereof for swinging movement inparallelism with the lamp axis, and cooperating means on the bar and thehousing for yieldingly maintaining the bar in selected positions ofadjustment.

8. An illuminator comprising a housing, a plane-parabolic reflectorWithin the housing and having a straight line of focus within the limitsof the reflector, a tubular elongated lamp having electric terminalends, a pair of rockable pivots on the housing arranged in axialalignment and disposed at opposite sides of the housing, said pivotseach having an inner end disposed inside the housing and anoppositeouter end disposed exteriorly of the housing, a pair of hangers eachhaving a pivot end fixed to the inner end of a rockable pivot, and afree end swingable about the pivot axes toward and from the focal lineof the reflector, lamp sockets fixed upon the free ends of the hangersin opposition to support the terminal ends of the lamp in parallelismwith the focal line of the reflector, movable adjusting means connectedto the outer ends of said rockable pivots and spanning said housingexteriorly thereof forswinging movement in parallelism with the lampaxis for moving said lamp in selected positions of adjustment.

9. The device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said device includesmeans supporting the housing for tilting in a vertical plane, and forsupporting the same in selected positions of sidewise tilt to inclinethe beam between horizontal and vertical inclinations.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS NORTON ANSHER,Primary Examiner.

CHARLES C. LOGAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. AN ILLUMINATOR COMPRISING A HOUSING, A PLANOPARABOLIC REFLECTORWITHIN THE HOUSING AND HAVING A STRAIGHT LINE OF FOCUS WITHIN THE LIMITSOF THE REFLECTOR, A TUBULAR ELONGATE LAMP HAVING ELECTRIC TERMINAL ENDS,A PAIR OF ROCKABLE PIVOTS ON THE HOUSING ARRANGED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT ANDDISPOSED AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE HOUSING, SAID PIVOTS EACH HAVING ANINNER END DISPOSED INSIDE THE HOUSING AND AN OPPOSITE OUTER END DISPOSEDEXTERIORLY OF THE HOUSING, A PAIR OF PARALLEL HANGERS EACH HAVING APIVOT END FIXED TO THE INNER END OF A ROCKABLE PIVOT, AND A FREE ENDSWINGABLE ABOUT THE PIVOT AXES TOWARD AND FROM THE FOCAL LINE OF THEREFLECTOR, LAMP SOCKETS FIXED UPON THE FREE ENDS OF THE HANGERS INOPPOSITION TO SUPPORT THE TERMINAL ENDS OF THE LAMP IN PARALLELISM WITHTHE FOCAL LINE OF THE REFLECTOR, A RESILIENT ADJUSTING BAR SPANNING THEILLUMINATOR HOUSING EXTERIORLY THEREOF, SAID BAR HAVING OPPOSITE ENDSFIXED TO THE OUTER ENDS OF THE ROCKABLE PIVOTS, WHEREBY SWINGINGMOVEMENT OF THE BAR ABOUT THE PIVOT AXES COMPELS UNITARY SWINGING OF THEHANGERS AND THE LAMP SOCKETS TOGETHER WITH THE LAMP THEREBY SUPPORTEDAND MEANS ON THE HOUSING EXTERIOR INTERMEDIATE THE ROCKABLE PIVOTS FORFRICTIONALLY AND YIELDINGLY ENGAGING THE ADJUSTING BAR AND HOLDING THELATTER IN SELECTED POSITIONS OF ADJUSTMENT TO ESTABLISH A SELECTEDSPACING OF THE LAMP RELATIVE TO THE FOCAL LINE OF THE REFLECTOR.